I’m not quite sure if this is a prediction, a bold overstatement, a foolish fable, or merely the truth – don’t shoot the messenger, please!

Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace were undeniably two of the very best hip-hop artists to ever live. The pair embodied a lyrical gift, both with pen and microphone, that is sorely missed by every rap fan around the globe. Two tragedies, with two prophets deceased.

In the 21st century, it is nearly impossible for any aspiring or current rapper to ignore the influence of Biggie and Pac on their own flows, lyrics, and aspirations. The typical rapper wants to get to Biggie’s status: adored by fans, living above the common law, and carrying forth an everlasting existence, through other rappers’ tributes and accolades. I’ve seen Jay-Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Game, and many others pause during their own shows, purely to pay homage to the two greats.

Many may say that there will never be anyone as good as Makaveli and B.I.G. Truth is, though, that the future of hip-hop is looking curiously bright recently, with increasingly younger artists causing huge stirs in the industry. With their intricate wordplay and fresh outlook on the ever-evolving genre, this new generation combines rapped poetry over an array of beats.

Kendrick Lamar

2011 and 2012 were very good to Kendrick Lamar. His Section.80 mixtape blew up, placing Kendrick as an A1 talent. While K.Dot excelling in his ridiculous talent – even changing up his flows (take Rigamortis for example) – he offered tributes to Aaliyah, his thoughts on the “Ronald Reagan Era,” and his moral views on ethnicity. How many can boldly state, “who gives a fuck what religion/ethnicity/skin colour you are, THIS IS RAP?”

As we all know, this led to the West Coast passing of the torch to Kendrick by Snoop, Game and a procession of other rappers, including an onlooking Dr. Dre. Soon after, rappers flocked to Lamar for his assistance, wanting him to kill every track. Can you even name one track that he features on where he doesn’t deliver? Exactly. Here, he begins to be able to be compared to Pac.

Kendrick’s killer verse at the end of Game’s “The City” is a real showcase of his talent. Surprisingly, he even hints toward his “Pac” lifestyle:

But this isn’t the only lyric where he views himself not as a reincarnation, but as a living testament to Tupac’s talent for rapping. Kendrick’s kick-start to his verse on Ab-Soul’s “Turn Me Up” represents the same idea:

“Pac told me fuck the world, I’m bout to cum now”

Despite the fact that Pac was born in Manhattan, it was the West Coast that became his home. Under the wing of Death Row Records, the “gangsta” image remembered and often used to dismiss Tupac was crafted. Yet, many forget about his ability to deliver tracks about the hardships and struggles of the streets and to pay homage to anyone. It was Pac, after all, who beat Kanye to the chase with poignant tracks about profound respect for his mother.

Pac was a man of emotion, with an unquenchable thirst for deciphering the cruel world that young, black males were forced to live within. Pac was their voice. Kendrick Lamar – aka the “Good Kid” – seems to embody the same sort of ideals that 2Pac stood for. But, while 2Pac became a corrupted soul, blending his “Thug Life” stage persona with his day-to-day life, Lamar seems to have firmly established himself a distinctly moral rapper. He has extreme talent and ambition, and despite the continued allure of the Compton street life, moves firmly upward. On “iLLuminate,” from Ab-Soul’s cryptically complex Control System we hear of Kendrick’s close-knit work with other West Coast greats. Another 2Pac reference is uttered:

Lamar does not allow the huge expectations that are on his shoulders (and I don’t mean to add to the pressure) to affect his game. At the same time, the simple fact that Lamar is rapping about Pac parallels only emphasises his awareness of both the goal and expectation that he become as great as Shakur was.

On the run-up to his massively successful debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, which soon after won “Best Album of 2012” across many different websites and magazines, Kendrick dropped the final part of his “Heart” trilogy, “The Heart, Pt. 3.” On it, Kendrick absolutely refuses to hold back his most personal raps, beginning his first verse with a thought provoking statement:

When even Kendrick is name-dropping Pac so often, it becomes extremely difficult not to draw comparisons. All we can know is that Kendrick is on fire. Will 2013 be the Year of the New Pac?

Joey Bada$$

Taking things over to the East Coast, you find ASAP Rocky doing his thing in a big way. Rocky appears to have adopted a fashionista, swag-fueled, trill style of rapping which is becoming increasingly popular in the UK. Here, his songs are hitting the radio stations and his fan base is rapidly increasing. Now, while I love what Pretty Flacko does, it appears to me that the just-turned-18 Jo-Vaughn Scott (Joey Bada$$) is the East’s brightest new prospect. 1999, his debut tape, was huge. Rejex, a tape of tracks cut from 1999, hardly felt like weak material either. PEEP: The aPROcalpse was an excellent end to the year, displaying the talent of not only Joey, but the entirety of the PRO-ERA crew (NYCk Caution impressed me in a big way).

Not yet to be considered on the same scale as the Kendrick/Tupac comparisons, Bada$$ (similar to Kendrick) sees his career growth in an optimistic light, despite his young age. The echoes to The Notorious B.I.G. can already be heard, most recently in his DJ Premier produced “Unorthodox,” on which the MC declared that he is

While the explanations are more deep, the evident comparisons are quite clear. This 18 year old has plenty of energy and passion, enough so to compare himself across the board to the legends of the previous era. Joey namedrops most of the New York greats in a way that vividly implies he will one day be at their level.

Heading back to A$AP and his 2013 debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP, there is yet another example of how the East Coast is currently thriving. As expected, Bada$$ sits on the track listing, pumping on your sound systems. Few things are as strong a hint that he is on the rise. Joey appears on the monster track “1 Train,” where we hear an array of fine verses from up-and-coming MCs of all types. Bada$$, who is poignantly placed just after Kendrick Lamar, tells his listeners:

One of the key lines of the track, we get another insight into his climb in success and popularity. Namedropping a meeting with the “big daddy” of rap, all while stopping the beat to make way for the words, points to great things.

There have been 16 years since the passing of Christopher Wallace, a man who, to many of fans, was and is the greatest to ever grace the mic. Similarly, 17 years have passed since Shakur’s death. But, as we mourn the past and remember the losses in hip-hop, we must always remain optimistic about the future. There are already great rappers among us. I personally predict massive things for Kendrick Lamar and Joey Bada$$, as does much of the UK fan base. But what do you think?